Santa Maria Mater Carmeli delle Suore Carmelitane Missionarie
'Santa Maria Mater Carmeli delle Suore Carmelitane Missionarie '''is a mid 20th century convent chapel at Via del Casaletto 115 in the suburb of Monteverde Nuovo. This is in the Gianicolense quarter. It is being used as a public dependent chapel by the parish of Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo. The dedication is to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. History The Carmelite Missionary Sisters (''Suore Carmelitane Missionarie) were founded by Blessed Francisco Palau y Quer on Mallorca, Spain in 1861. It is one of the Tertiary congregations of the Discalced Carmelites. Papal approval to be an international congregation was received in 1917. The present large convent looks 1950's, and is the Generalate of the congregation. Appearance Layout and fabric The main convent complex is laid out in the form of a H, with the chapel occupying one end of a leg. The architect ensured that it has good civic presence, which is unusual in a private convent chapel in Rome. The overall plan is based on an irregular octagon, stretched slightly along the major axis. The far side, at the sanctuary, is taken up by a low octagonal tower which is slightly higher than the main roof. The visible fabric is in red brick (the bricks are thin), although there seems to be a reinforced concrete frame and the rooflines have deep concrete eaves. The longitudinal side walls each have a pair of very large rectangular windows with mullions in the form of several vertical concrete vanes. The main roof is (despite the octagonal plan) hexagonal, with six pitches. The sanctuary turret has two main hexagonal pitches, with a pair of hips at the longitudinal sides. Façade The impressive frontage is set back slightly from the street, with a railing gateway in front. The diagonal walls here are in blank red brick of high quality, and each has a pattern in the brickwork made by laying some bricks vertically. This amounts to a cross over a square, with a small cross above and below. The pattern contains six square stone relief plaques, set in the middle of the smaller crosses and where the larger cross arms intersect the square. The entrance façade is recessed, and is flanked by a pair of short diagonal walls. Over the single entrance is a horizontal concrete beam with a thin projecting cornice, and this is supported by two pairs of concrete slab piers which are engaged with the diagonal walls and are at right angles to them. Each pair flanks a window strip in stained glass, and the inner two piers clasp the doorframe. Above the canopy beam is a large rectangular stained glass window, flanked by two more pairs of slab piers flanking stained glass strips matching those below. The stained glass has an odd design -it is a spiderweb radiating from an octagonal panel in blue featuring a cross on a mountain with two stars. The upper two pairs of slab-piers support a continuation of the concrete eaves from the walls on either side. This bears a triangular floating canopy in concrete at the roofline. Liturgy Until 2017, the parish of Trasfigurazione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo was using this chapel as a public Mass centre, in conjunction with Sacro Cuore di Gesù delle Suore Oblate del Sacro Cuore which is another convent chapel very close by in the same street. Mass was being celebrated on Sundays and Solemnities at 10:00 and 11:30. However, the arrangement seems to have ceased. External links Official diocesan web-page for congregation Congregation's website (Spanish) Category:Catholic churches Category:Dedications to the Blessed Virgin Mary Category:20th century Category:Dedicated private chapels Category:Convent churches and chapels Category:Outside the walls - South-West